Converting Macbook keyboard/touch pad into USB keyboard/touch pad

For those finding the title not overly helpful, this post is about adding a USB cable to a Macbook keyboard/touch pad for use with other computers.

The inspiration for this came about as I scoured the house for any trace of a USB keyboard, which led me to the Macbook featured in my previous post, creating a mini DVI to VGA adapter. A quick Google search led me to Cryozap, who had already done the heavy lifting with this project by finding the pinouts of the connector used by the keyboard, as seen in the post MacBook Core Duo Logic Board Keyboard Connector Pinout. Here is how I managed to attach a USB cable!

Decogging a Fisher and Paykel SmartDrive

DISCLAIMER:
This post involves decogging a Fisher and Paykel Smartdrive motor, with the use of power tools, welders and human strength. If you're attempting this as well, I take no responsibility for injuries that may greet you.

Following along with my plans of making a wind turbine, this post shows how I went about decogging the motors. Reading through The Back Shed articles, the two main ways of decogging a Fisher and Paykel Smartdrive motor seem to be
1. grinding off the corners of the stator poles
2. twisting the stator poles.
For the sake of learning, I went with trying both.

Making a SmartDrive decogging tool

This post requires the use of power tools and welders so if you are following this, don't be stupid, and make sure you know how to handle the tools as well as protect yourself from them. I take no responsibility for injuries that may come about from this post.

EDIT 10/10/12: Found more pictures.


Making this decogging tool requires access to a welder, so if you don't own or have access to a welder (be it through friends or work), you will have to think up another way. If you're really willing you could make your own welder out of microwaves. Milling machines can also be used to make the tool as seen on The Back Shed, credit to Jarbar for making the tool and it's much prettier than my own (see right).

PowerTech 0-24V bench top power supply teardown

 Here's my newest toy, a 0-24V, max 18A PowerTech branded switch mode benchtop power supply. In this blog we'll take a peek into the supply and see what makes it tick!

Homemade Macbook mini-DVI to VGA adapter

With Apple's need to make things as far away from normal as possible, I found myself with two Macbook's with smashed screens. To fix those would have cost $200+, so that was out of the question. I could have also brought an adapter for them, but that takes all the fun out of it!

Here's how I made the mini DVI to VGA adapter using some old ribbon cables used for connecting PCB's together (not IDE type ribbon cable), and an even older mini VGA adapter for the VGA port, and don't forget the 10K resistor!

Newcason XC4070L inductance meter review/teardown

This is the cheapest inductance meter I could find on eBay, and here's a quick review/teardown into it!

Recycling

It's funny, I go out and wish I could find old things to reuse, like airconditioners (heat pump), fridges (air compressor) and just other stuff like misc. electronics... Then I end up at places like the local junkyard, or the scrap dealer. This world must be here to torture me.

Heat pump water heater ponderings

As of late I've also been wondering if it's worthwhile to turn an old scrap airconditioner into a heat pump to heat our hot water, based on Tesla500's. As a result of our house utilising a solar hot water system, the only time we need to use a booster is on overcast days.

Cairns.com.au reports that we receive approximately 1992mm of rain over 152 days, hence this leads me to believe it may be worthwhile, although I'm still uncertain. Anyone else got an opinion on this?

Holiday projects

With the holidays drawing to a close, I thought it'd be a good idea to summarise what I've done and what I have planned left to do.

Babington oil burner

With most projects, they have to start somewhere. One day I hope to make a foundry for melting and casting metal, and the logical place to start was the fire. After an amount of research and parent nagging the babington oil burner build was commenced... Here's the not very well documented build log for it.